Lock



PatentedV Dec. 5,` `1933 PATENT OFFICE f i UNITED STATES Loox b j y Stephen F; Briggs, Chenequa, Wis., assignor to Briggs & `Stratton Corporation, Milwaukee,

Wis., a corporation `of Delaware Application April 7, 1933. serial No. 664,857'

' s claims. (ci. 'zo- 29) This invention relates to certain neW and` usefulv improvements in locks, and refers more particularlyrto locks especially adapted for use with compartment doors and especially the doors of instrument board compartments of auton'io` biles.

It is an object of this invention to provide a simple lock device for securing compartment doors and the like closed, `in which part of the i l0 lock assembly providespa handle to facilitate opening and closing of the jdoor.

. `Another object of this invention is to provide aVlock device of the character described, em-

bodying a spring latch adapted to hold the door V'which will appear as the description proceeds,

my `invention resides `in the novel construction,

combination and arrangement of parts substantially `as hereinafter described 4and more particularlyrdefined by the appended claims, it being understood that such changes in the precise embodiment of the hereindisclosed invention may be made as come withinthe scope of the claims. l b l l In the accompanying drawing I have illustrated one complete `example of the physical embodiment of my invention constructed naccording to'the best `mode I have so far devised for the practical application of the principles thereof, and in which: b b

`Figure 1 is a Vertical section through a cornpartment door of an automobile instrument l board-equipped with the lock mechanism of this invention; and p Figure 2 is a back View of the lock mechanism per ser taken on the of Figure l.' n y Referring now more particularly to the accompanying drawing in which like numerals indicatewlike parts throughout the several views, the numeral vrepresents the front wall of the compartment which may be; as in the present instance, part of the instrument board of an automobile. 4

A door 6 is hingedly mounted as at 7 toswing to and from a position lclosing the entrance to the compartment formed by an opening in the Wall5. The hinged connection '7 is so designed that when the door is closed, the entire hinge is concealed.

The door 6 is hollow, being composed of an plane of the line`2-2 outer wail 8 and an inner Wall 9 connected `ad-` jacent the peripheral edge `portions of the door, Within the space between the outer and inner Wall is the bolt and latching mechanism of this invention, indicated generally by the numeral 10,

and by which the door may be secured in its closed position.

The latching latch element il formed from a single piece of spring sheet metal with a iiat attaching portion 12 and a spring finger 13 projecting therefrom for engagement With the adjacent edge 14 of the opening closed by the door. b The outer extremity of the finger 13 Vis curved as shown to facilitate engagement and disengagement thereof With the edge 14 as the door is closed and opened. Y

The spring -latch element is mounted with its spring nger eXtending through an opening 15 in the upper Wall connecting the outer and inner` Walls of the door and is mounted on the door with its attaching portion 12 in dat engagement with the inner` face of the cuter Wall 8. It is retained in this position by a tubular knob 16, which has a threaded end i7 of reduced vdiameter passing through aligned openings 18 and 19 in the wall 8 and portion 12, respectively.

The `threaded end portion 17 of the knob has a lat side 20 and the openings 18 and 19 are correspondingly provided Withilat sides to preclude relative rotationbetween the knob and the door and to hold the spring latch element against turning.

A nut `21threaded on the portion 17 clamps theperipheral edge portions of the Wall 8 and the spring latch element between it and a` shoulder 22 formed at the base of the threaded portion 17 bythe enlarged outer end of the knob. b Y

The knob 16, as stated, is tubular and besides having the function `of a handle `to facilitate opening and closing of the door, it aiiords a.

casing for a lock cylinder 23 rotatably mounted therein. The lock cylinder 23, as is customary, is provided with the usual tumblers which are spring urged to secure the cylinder against rotation and are retractable upon the insertion of.

a proper key 24 to free theV lock cylinder for' `mechanism comprises a spring Asbest illustrated inliigure 2, the outer endA of the bolt `25 is `stepped as at 26 and is shaped to enable it to project up into and under the curved outer end portion 13 of the spring latch element to hold the `same against movement to an inoperative position.` The bolt 25 not only holds the outer end of the spring latch element firmly in engagement with the adjacent edge portion 14, but also has a substantial portion thereof projecting above the edge 14 to positively preclude opening of the door when in its tion shown in Figure 2, which is dened by the engagement of the edge 27 of the bolt with a pin 28 carried by the adjacent end of the knob or casing member. i

From the foregoing description taken in conn ection with the accompanying drawing, it will be readily apparent to those skilled in the art to which this invention appertains, that this invention, by reason of its novel combination of a spring latch and a positive lock, affords an extremely simple and efficient locking mechanism for compartment doors and particularly the doors of instrument board compartments in automobiles.

What I claim as my invention is:

1. A lock device of the character described comprising, a bored member, a spring latch element comprising a sheet of spring metal having a flat attaching portion and a spring iinger projecting therefrom, common means to mount the bored member and said spring latch element, a key operable lock cylinder within the bored ember, and a locking bolt carried by the lock cylinder and adapted to swing into engagement with the spring finger to retain the same in an operative position.

2. A lock device of the character described comprising, a bored handle knob adapted to be attached to a member to be moved, a spring latch element, common means to hold the handle knob and the spring latch element to said member to be moved, said spring latch element having a iinger engageable with a fixed abutment to Ayieldably hold said member in a predetermined position, a key operable lock cylinder in the bore of the handle knob, and a locking bolt carried by the lock cylinder and engageable with the ringer of the spring latch element to hold the same in its operative position.

3. Locking mechanism for a door mounted to swing to and from a closed position comprising, a bored handle knob mounted on the door, a spring latch element carried by the door and engageable with a fixed abutment to yieldably hold the door closed, a key controlled lock cylinder in the bore or" the handle knob, and a locking bolt carried by the lock cylinder and having a part engageable with the spring latch element to hold the same in its operative position and a part engageable directly with the fixed abutment to positively secure the door closed.

4. In combination with a hollow door movable to and from a closed position, mechanism to secure the door closed comprising a spring finger mounted within the hollow of the door and projecting therefrom for engagement with a iixed abutment to yieldably hold the door closed, a locking bolt mounted within the hollow of the door and adapted to project therefrom into engagement with the spring nger to secure the same in its operative position, and a key controlled lock cylinder accessible from the eX- terior of the door to actuate said locking bolt.

5. In combination with a hollow door movable to and from a closed position, mechanism to secure the door closed comprising a spring finger mounted within the hollow of the door and projecting therefrom for engagement with a xed abutment to yieldably hold the door closed, a locking bolt mounted within the hollow of the door and adapted to project therefrom into engagement with the spring ringer to secure the same in its operative position, a key controlled lock cylinder accessible from the exterior of the door to actuate said locking bolt, and common means to mount the spring finger and the lock cylinder on the door.

6. In combination with a hollow door having an inner and an outer wall and movable to and from a closed position, locking mechanism to secure the door closed comprising a bored handle knob mounted on the outer wall of the door with its inner end portion extending into the hollow of the door, a spring latch element having a part apertured to receive the inward extension of the handle knob and lying iat against the inner face of the outer wall of the door, means to simultaneously hold said spring latch element and the handle knob in position on the outer wall of the door, said spring latch element having a finger projecting from the hollow of the door for engagement with a xed abutment to secure the door closed, a key operable 'lock cylinder mounted in the bore of the handle knob, and a locking bolt carried by the lock cylinder with its outer end portion projectable from the hollow of the door into engagement with the spring iinger to hold the same in its operative position. v

'7. In combination with a movable member to be secured in a predetermined position, a bored member, a spring latch element having a spring finger engageable with a fixed abutment to yieldably hold said member in said predetermined position, common means to secure said bored member and spring latch element to said movable member, a key operable lock cylinder mounted in the'bore of said member, and a locking bolt carried by the lock cylinder and engageable with the same fixed abutment with which the spring ringer engages to positively lock said movable member in said predetermined position.

8. In combination with a door hinged to swing to and from a closed position, a bored handle knob, a spring latch element comprising a formed piece of spring metal provided with an apertured flat portion engageable over part of said bored handle knob, means to simultaneously secure the handle knob and said spring l latch element to the door, said spring latch element having a spring finger projecting therefrom for engagement with a xed abutment to yieldably hold the door in its closed position, a key operable lock cylinder rotatable in the bore of the handle knob, and a locking bolt carried by said lock cylinder and adapted to swing into engagement with the same iiXed abutment with which the spring linger engages to positively hold the door in its closed position.

STEPHEN F. BRIGGS. 

